Categories : Music Reviews, Rock + Pop.
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Rating: 4/5 Released: May 16, 2006 Reviewer: David Coats |
Offering further proof that Jack White is among music’s most prolific artists is the debut record from his new band, The Raconteurs. Whether being the creative force behind The White Stripes or the producer behind Loretta Lynn, the common thread between White’s many projects is blues, and though Broken Boy Soldiers occasionally explores blues in both pop and jazz contexts, ultimately, this is blues in a rock context.
This record sees White playing with a full band, and though it isn’t as minimalist as The White Stripes’ material, there is no less creativity to be found here. The songs are efficient but full, making very quick transitions from verse to chorus; in fact, the ten songs clock in at a shade over thirty minutes. While some songs are reminiscent of the Stripes (‘Hand’ comes across as a less eccentric version of ‘My Doorbell’), this material definitely stands on its own. Highlights include the jazz-blues fusion of ‘Blue Veins’, the melodic, intrinsically vintage opener ‘Steady As She Goes’ (with a certain Neil Young familiarity to it), and the darkly upbeat title track, featuring the howling White’s best vocal performance, as well as drummer Patrick Keeler’s best effort. In fact, aside from the stagnant ‘Call It A Day’, with its annoying backing vocals, literally every other song only sounds better with repeated listens.
Even though Soldiers isn’t as obviously adventurous as other White projects, there is as much meat on the bones of these songs as anything in White’s catalogue. Who knows what the longevity of the band will be, given that White isn’t the sort of musician who makes ten records with one band – more the kind who makes one record with ten different bands, but Broken Boy Soldiers only adds to his creative reputation.
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